Safety stirrup



Jmzs, 1969 M. STUBBLEFIELD 3,423,904

SAFETY STIRRUP Filed Feb. 2'7, 196'? 3 4 A j i 4 l "II QM H IO- INVENTOR MAURICE STUBBLEFIELD BY WWW imam ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,423,904 SAFETY STIRRUP Maurice Stubblefield, Clancy, Mont. 59601 Filed Feb. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 618,853 US. Cl. 54-49 7 Claims Int. Cl. 1368c 3/00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Summary of invention A stirrup structure according to the invention comprises essentially two parts, a support interponent suspendable from a stirrup strap or the like and a stirrup proper normally connected to the support interponent but being readily disconnectable from the latter at the will of the rider. The stirrup proper has two upstanding sides provided with pivot parts normally connected to pivot parts on the support interponent. The stirrup proper sides are resiliently urged toward positions in which their pivot parts would be disengaged from the pivot parts on the support interponent, but latches on the interponent and stirrup proper normally restrain the sides against being moved to their disengaging positions. The latches are releasable in response to relative tilting pivotal movement between the interponent and the stirrup proper, thus enabling the pivotal connections to be disengaged and the stirrup proper completely released from the interponent.

An object of the invention i to provide a safety stirrup of the class including a support interponent component suspendable from a stirrup strap or the like, and a stirrup proper component detachably connected and latched to the interponent component and which may be completely disconnected therefrom in response to unlatching of the connection between the components and resilient-urge-eifected movement of the parts of the stirrup proper component.

There have been prior proposals to provide safety stirrups in which a foot-engageable part is moved or conditioned to release the riders foot from the stirrup strap. Examples of such prior art proposals are in the patents to Lerchen 350,144; Eldenburg 798,953; Jones 889,018; and Metcalf 1,136,154.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved safety stirrup characterized by simplicity and ruggedness of construction and reliability in operation.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a stirrup structure embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view thereof, a lower or stirrup proper part being shown in full lines in its normal position and in broken line in position for being released from an upper or support interponent part;

FIGURE 3 is a rear elevational view of the stirrup structure with the parts in normal positions, on an enlarged scale; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged scale fragmentary rear elevational view showing the stirrup proper part detached from the support interponent part.

The stirrup structure is illustrated as being suspended from a conventional stirrup strap SS, the composite stirrup structure including two essential components, namely a support interponent SI suspendable from the stirrup strap SS, and a stirrup proper SP which is normally attached to the support interponent SI but which may readily be completely detached from the latter by manipulation by the rider in case of an actuate or anticipated fall or other emergency. The arrows F in FIGURES l and 2 point forwardly, that is toward the horses or other animals head. As is explained in detail below, swinging movement of the stirrup proper clockwise with respect to the support interponent to the position shown in broken lines in FIGURE 2 will effect complete detachment of the stirrup proper from the interponent and the stirrup strap.

The support interponent SI comprises two horizontal bars, an upper bar 1 and a lower bar 2, which are secured together in spaced relation by two vertical bars 3. The opposite ends of the lower bar 2 are formed as spaced pivot parts 4, 4; and the opposite ends of the upper bar 1 are provided with wings constituting spaced latch parts 5, 5. A tongue 6 secured to the upper bar 1 extends within the lOOp 7 at the lower end of the stirrup strap SS.

The stirrup proper SP includes a bottom 8 and upstanding sides 9, 9 which are formed with pivot parts, that is holes 10, 10, spaced from each other and below the tops of the sides 9, 9 for receiving the pivot end parts 4, 4 of the support interponent SI. The upper edges of the sides 9, 9 are inclined at 11, 11 so as to provide upstanding latch parts 12, 12.

When the stirrup structure is in normal use, that is during ordinary riding without untoward incident or expectation of diificulty, the parts are in the relative positions shown in FIGURES 1 and 3, and in full lines in FIGURE 2. The pivot end parts 4, 4 of the support interponent SI are in pivotal engagement with the pivot parts or holes 10, 19 in the stirrup proper sides 9, 9, and the latch parts 12, 12 at the tops of the stirrup proper sides have their outer faces in engagement with the inner faces of the latch parts 5, 5 of the interponent SI. Accordingly, the interponent latch parts 5, 5 hold the upper portions of the stirrup proper sides 9, 9 in engagement with the pivot parts 4, 4 so as to maintain the stirrup proper SP securely connected to the support interponent SI. The sides 9, 9 of the stirrup proper are resiliently urged outwardly, that is away from one another, so as to maintain the latch parts 12, 12 pressed against the latch parts 5, 5. The resilient urging of the sides 9, 9 outwardly tends to move their upper portions in directions to disengage the pivot holes 10,10 from the pivot parts 4, 4, but normally the latch parts 5, 5 engage the latch parts 12, 12 and prevent such outward or spreading movement of the sides 9, 9. In the illustrative embodiment, the resilient urging of the stirrup proper sides 9, 9 outwardly away from each other is due to inherent resilience characteristics of the stirrup proper part which is constructed as a single unitary member. Any material having the necessary strength as well as resilience may be used for making the stirrup proper, e.g. metal, wood, or plastic.

When the rider anticipates difiiculty and wishes to ensure that his leg will not remain attached to the saddle, he need only direct pressure on the stirrup proper SP in a direction to cause the latter to swing forwardly about the pivot part pairs 4, 10 from the position shown in full lines in FIGURE 2 to the position shown in broken lines in that figure. During this swinging movement of the stirrup proper SP, the tongue 6 of the interponent SI is restrained against substantial movement by the strap loop 7, so that the stirrup proper SP moves relatively to the interponent SI. Such movement of the stirrup proper relative to the support interponent will move the latching parts 12 below the latching parts 5 so as to enable the sides 9, 9 of the stirrup proper to be expanded by the resilient urge imposed upon them with the result that the pivot hole parts 10 are disengaged from the pivot parts 4, thus completely disconnecting the stirrup proper from the support interponent and stirrup strap SS.

The construction shown and described embodies the invention in a presently preferred form, but it is intended that the disclosure be illustrative rather than definitive, the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a stirrup structure, the combination of a support interponent suspendable from a stirrup strap and comprising two spaced first pivot parts, and two spaced first latch parts; and a stirrup proper having a bottom and two upstanding sides, each of said sides having two spaced second pivot parts engageable respectively with said first pivot parts for pivotally connecting said stirrup proper to said support interponent, said sides also having two second latch parts engageable respectively with said first latch parts when said stirrup proper is in normal position depending from said support interponent for maintaining said second pivot parts engaged with said first pivot parts, said second latch parts being disengageable from said first latch parts in response to pivotal tilting movement of said stirrup proper relative to said support interponent, said stirrup proper sides being resiliently urged to press said second latch parts into engagement with said first latch parts respectively and being urged in directions to disengage said second pivot parts from said first pivot parts, whereby when said stirrup proper is tilted pivotally with respect to said support interponent with consequent disengagement of said second latch parts from said first latch parts, said second pivot parts will be disengaged from said first pivot parts and said stirrup proper will be completely detached from said interponent support.

2. A stirrup structure according to claim 1 in which said stirrup proper is a unitary member inherently resilient for normally urging said sides to press said second latch parts into engagement with said first latch parts respectively and in directions to disengage said second pivot parts from said first pivot parts.

3. A stirrup structure according to claim 2 in which said sides are urged outwardly away from each other so as normally to hold said second latch parts in engagement with inwardly facing surfaces on said first latch parts.

4. A stirrup structure according to claim 1 in which said support interponent comprises a bar the opposite ends of which respectively constitute said first pivot parts, and in which said second pivot parts are constituted by holes in said stirrup proper sides.

5. A stirrup structure according to claim 2 in which said support interponent comprises a bar the opposite ends of which respectively constitute said first pivot parts, and in which said second pivot parts are constituted by holes in said stirrup proper sides.

6. A stirrup structure according to claim 1 in which said pivot parts are located vertically between said latch parts and said stirrup proper bottom.

7. A stirrup structure according to claim 6 in which, in each pair of interengageable first and second latch parts, one of the latch parts has an edge which is inclined to the vertical.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1912 Reed 5449 HUGH R. CHAMBLEE, Primary Examiner. 

